Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



L. G. BARTLETT.

PNEUMATIC DESPATOH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIGAI'ION.I'ILED we. 2, 1907. T

Patented June 21, 1910.

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ANDREW s GRANAM co vno'roumcsmwans \vAsmNcroN. n cy "L. G. BARTLETT. PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 1130.2,1907.

962,072., Patented June 21, 1910.

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ANDREW nv GRAHAM co. mow uwocmpusns. WASHINGTON, 0,4;

L. G. BARTLETT. PNEUMATIC 'DESPATGH TUBE APPABATUS- APPLICATION FILED 1130.2, 1907. 962,072. Patented June 21, 1910.

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ANPRIW ash-1AM co wmo-uwcsmmsns \vAsmNcmm D. c.

L. G. BARTLETT. PNEUMATIC DESPATOH TUBE APPARATUS.

962,072? APPLICATION FILED DEO.2 1907. Patented June 21,

4 SHBETSSHEET 4.

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LOUIS G. BARTLETT, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH-TUBE APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs Gr. BARTLETT, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Despatch Tube Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Hy invention relates to improvements in pneumatic despatch tube apparatus and particularly to that class known as the all sealed system or bellmouth control wherein a vacuum is normally maintained and an air-inlet valve located near the bellmouth and normally closed is adapted to be opened and held open to admit air to the system for the despatch and transmission of carriers, said valve being adapted to automatically close when no carriers are in transmission in the system. This air-inlet valve is usually located in the transmission tube in the path of carriers despatched from the bellmouth and at a varying distance from said bellmouth and the object of this invention is to insure the complete opening of said valve to prevent the same from obstructing the passage of carriers and at the same time to insure the admission of an equal volume of air for driving each carrier or carriers in transmission in the system.

Numerous other features of this invention are hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated a form of construction embodying my invention in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the same. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section showing the controlling mechanism in normal or non-operating position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation partly in section showing the position of the parts with a carrier inserted in the bellmouth for transmission. Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3 showing a carrier releasing the locking mechanism after passing the air-valve. Fig. 5 shows the position of the controlling mechanism when a carrier is despatched from the out or sub-station. Fig. 6 is an enlarged View of a portion of the main diaphragm.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig. 1 A. represents the central or cashiers station and Bthe out or sub- C is a transmission tube connecting the central station A with the terminal D at Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2, 1907.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 404,739.

sub-station B controlled by the usual delivery valve D. E is a return transmission tube connecting the terminal D with the terminal F at the central station A and controlled by the usual delivery valve F. G is a vacuum tube connecting the terminal F with the vacuum drum H. E is the ordinary despatching inlet located at the substation for inserting carriers into tube E and 2 is a despatching inlet or bellmouth in casing I connected with transmission tube C at the central station A. 3 is a normally closed air-inlet valve pivoted at 3 in the casing I and connected through a link 4 and rod 5 with a diaphragm 6 mounted in the main diaphragm casing 7. The lower chamber of casing 7 beneath diaphragm 6 is connected with the vacuum tube G by a pipe 10. Opening into the upper chamber of said casing 7 above said diaphragm 6 is a pipe 11 having two branches or air inlets 12 and 13 normally closed by valves 14 and 32 respectively. 40 is a by-pass connecting the upper and lower chambers of the diaphra m casing 7 and controlled by an adwstable timing screw or valve 41 held in adjustment by a check-nut 42 (see Fig. 6). 8 is an adjustable collar secured to rod 5 and 9 is a spring mounted over said rod 5 and adapted to operate against collar 8 to hold valve 3 normally closed. The pilot valve 14 is pivoted at 15 to the bellmouth 2 and is held closed by the usual spring. 16 is a trip carrying the catch 17 and projecting through slot 18 into bellmouth 2 said trip 16 adapted to be operated by the insertion of a carrier into said bellmouth to open said pilot valve 14. 20 is a latch pivoted to an arm 19 on casing I and normally held in position by a spring 26 to engage catch 17 when trip 16 is depressed. 22 is a trip pivoted at 23 to arm 24 and which normally projects through a slot 25 into casing I above valve 3. This trip 22 is pivotally connected through a rod 21 with the latch 20. 32 is a pilot valve pivoted at 34 to the upper part of pipe 13 and is normally held closed by its own weight. 33 is a catch adapted to engage when valve 32 is opened with a latch 36 pivoted at 37 to arm 24 and which latch 36 carries an arm 38 adapted to be engaged by a trip 39 con nected with valve 3 when said valve 3 is fully open. 31 is a weight on the lower end of. stem 30, the upper end of said stem being connected with a diaphragm 29 mounted in the diaphragm casing 27 secured to casing I the upper chamber of said casing 27 above diaphragm 29 being in communication with the transmission tube C through an opening 28, and the lower side of said diaphragm 29 open to the atmosphere. 35 is an arm on valve 32 adapted to be engaged by weight 31 to open said valve.

The operation is as follows :-To despatch a carrier from station A to station 13, the cashier inserts the carrier into the bellmouth 2 where it engages the trip 16 (see Fig. 3) opening the pilot valve 14 and at the same time the catch 17 engages with latch 20 locking said valve open. The air now enters through pipes 12 and 11 destroying the vacuum on the upper side of the main diaphragm 6 which is drawn down by the vacuum beneath said diaphragm against the tension of spring 9 and through rod 5 and link 4 opens the valve 3 admitting air through the bellmouth 2 driving the carrier into the tube C toward the sub-station B. The valve 14 having been locked open, air was continually admitted to the upper side of diaphragm 6 which caused the valve 3 to open fully allowing the carrier to pass by said valve when the carrier engages the trip 22 actuating the latch 20 through rod 21 releasing the trip 16 allowing the pilot valve 14 to close shutting off the admission of air to the upper side of diaphragm 6 (see Fig. 4). The air above said diaphragm 6 is now gradually exhausted through bypass 40 until by the time the carrier has delivered through valve D at sub-station B the valve 3 has been entirely closed through action of spring 9 cutting off the admission of air through the bellmouth 2. The timing valve 41 may be adjusted to time the closure of said air-valve 3. In despatching a carrier from the sub-station B to central station A the clerk opens the inlet E and inserts the carrier into the tube E. The opening of said inlet E causes a fluctuation of the vacuum in tube C releasing the diaphragm 29 which is drawn down by weight 31 until said weight strikes arm 35 opening pilot valve 32 (see Fig. 5). Catch 33 now engages with latch 36 locking valve 32 open. Air now enters through pipes 13 and 11 destroying the vacuum above the main diaphragm 6 which operates in the manner heretofore described to open the valve 3 admitting air through bellmouth 2. In the meantime the clerk has closed the inlet E which causes the carrier to be drivenallowing valve 3 to gradually close until by the time said valve has closed the carrier has discharged through valve 1*" into the receptacle A.

It will thus be seen that the complete opening of the air valve 3 is insured upon the despatching of a carrier at either the central station A or the sub station B, that is, if a carrier is inserted at central station A, it opens the pilot valve 14 and locks same open until air valve 3 has fully opened. If

a carrier is inserted at sub station E, the

fluctuation in the vacuum in tube C releases diaphragm 29 which opens pilot valve 32, which looks open until valve 3 has fully opened.

The mechanism for holding the air valve 3 fully open and preventing the closing of the same before it has so opened, consists of the latches 20 and 36, and the mechanism for releasing and permitting the closure of the air-valve 3 consists of the trips 22 and 39.

Having thus described my invention and set forth a construction embodying the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, a plurality of stations, a normally closed valve or gate adapted to control and time the passage of air through said tube for driving carriers, pneumatically operated means adapted to operate said valve, means for insuring the complete operation of said pneumatically operated means upon the despatching of a carrier from any of said stations, and means for adjusting the timing of said valve.

2. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, a plurality of stations, a normally closed valve orgate located in said tube and adapt ed to control and time the passage of air through said tube for driving carriers, pneumatically operated means adapted to operate said valve, and automatic means for insuring the complete operation of said pneumatically operated means upon the despatching of a carrier from any of said stations whereby said valve is completely opened. I

3. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, an exhaust tube, a plurality of stations, a normally closedvalve or gate adapted to control and time the passage of air through said tube for driving carriers, pneumatically operated mechanism adapted to operate said valve, and means for controlling said mechanism from any of said stations to insure the complete operation thereof and the complete opening of said valve..

4. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, means for exhausting the air from said tube, a normally closed valve or gate located in said tube and adapted to control-and time the passage of air through said tube'for driving carriers, means adapted to be operated to open said valve, means for locking said valve open to permlt the passage of a carrier, and means for automatically releasing said locking means after the passage of the carrier by said valve to permit the closure of the same.

In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, an exhaust tube, a plurality of stations located along said transmission tube, a normally closed valve or gate adapted to control and time the flow of air through said tube for driving carriers, mechanism adapted to operate said valve, and means adapted to be operated upon the despatching of a carrier from any of said stations to insure the complete operation of said mechanism to open said valve to permit a maximum flow of air through said tube, and to permit the operation of said mechanism to close said valve after the same has been opened to the position whereby said maximum flow of air has been established.

6. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a normally closed tube for the transmission of carriers, means for exhausting the air from said tube, a normally closed air valve adapted to control and time the admission of air to said tube for driving carriers, means adapted to be operated to open said air-valve, means for locking said valve opening means in operating position, and means for releasing said locking means When said valve has fully opened to permit the closure of said valve.

7. In a pneumatic despatoh tube apparatus, a normally closed tube for the transmission of carriers, a plurality of stations, means for exhausting the air from said tube, a normally closed air-valve adapted to control and time the admission of air to said tube, means adapted to be operated to open said air-valve to admit air to said tube for driving carriers, and independent means adapted to be operated upon the despatching of a carrier from either of said stations for preventing the closure of said valve until said valve has fully opened.

8. In. a'pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, an exhaust tube, a normally closed valve or gate adapted to control and time the passage of air through said transmission tube for driving carriers, mechanism adapted to be operated by air pressure to open said valve or gate, a pilot valve adapted to open upon the despatching of a carrier to admit air pressure to operate said mechanism, and means for retaining said pilot valve open to insure the complete operation of said mechanism and opening of said valve or gate.

9. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a tube for the transmission of carriers, an exhaust tube, a normally closed valve or gate adapted to control and time the passage of air through said transmission tube for driving carriers, mechanism adapted to be operated by air pressure to open said valve or gate, a pilot valve adapted to open upon the despatching of a carrier to admit air pressure to operate said mechanism, means for retaining said pilot valve open during the operation of said mechanism and the opening of said valve or gate, and means for releasing said retaining means When said valve or gate has fully opened to permit the closure of said pilot valve and said valve or gate.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 80th day of November A. D. 1907.

LOUIS Gr. BARTLETT.

WVitnesses:

ARTHUR F. RANDALL, H. C. BOWSER. 

